


i never lived a year better spent in love

by tragickenobi



Series: babel [1]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 11:30:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8889130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tragickenobi/pseuds/tragickenobi
Summary: a slice of fluff of bodhi and cassian relaxing and cuddling after two weeks off-base





	

**Author's Note:**

> * possible spoilers. discussion of the ending of rogue one despite the outcome being different of course.
> 
> title from babel by mumford and sons
> 
> takes place post episode four / pre episode five

 

Cassian goes to debriefing, Bodhi goes to sleep.

It’d been a long two weeks for the both of them, helping run supplies to several smaller bases forming across the galaxies. The two had been partnered together to lead the cargo ships; leading two week’s worth of running and hiding from constant Imperial patrols, dogfights and losing half their ships by the time things took a turn for the better. Both men were dead on their feet by the time they landed back on Yavin IV, but Cassian had the most willpower left to usher Bodhi off to rest.

He's sure he's dismissed early because of his state, old bruises from being tossed around the cockpit and bags under his eyes, but Cassian can't even pretend to complain about it. They've been allowed several days of rest before they're to get new assignments, and he doesn't plan on wasting a second on it.

Cassian leaves K2SO in the main hangar, giving him reign to do as he pleased before walking back towards the network of rooms. He shrugs his jacket off to fold over his arm before rubbing at his eyes, exhausted but moving faster with every step to get to the bed. He needs a day or two to recover, another two to get back into his usual swagger, and then the final days to get anxious about being back out on missions again, like he always is. The halls feel safer each time he returns to them, each time he remembers all that awaits him.

Silently, Cassian inputs the code to the room and slips inside, putting his jacket on top the dresser automatically. It’s one of the nicer rooms, reserved typically for the highest ranking and, in such a case, the leaders of the Death Star mission. A good temporary home. Cassian glances to the bed as he kneels to undo his boots, skin sighing with relief at the decrease in pressure on it. Bodhi’s already asleep, covers tucked under his arm and his head resting on the other, cheek squished against his forearm. It takes a few seconds to realize he’s been staring instead of dressing himself down.

To be fair he doesn’t think anyone is going to blame him, though. Cassian stares just as much as Bodhi does, and it’s worse when they’re alone like this and not playing cat and mouse with their gazes. Still so far quiet, Cassian slips out of his boots and walks to the other side of the bed, looking at Bodhi from the back. His hair is mostly grown out again, nearly to his shoulders, after most of it had been singed off during an explosion that almost killed him at Scarif. It’s decided a moment later that he likes the idea of Bodhi tying his hair back way more than the memory of that day and Cassian climbs into bed a little more hectically than he normally would. He feels Bodhi shift a little as he wraps an arm around his waist, the other moving up to brush aside the hair from the back of his neck and laying a few kisses over it. Bodhi tenses, but it’s followed by an amused snort muffled by the pillow. It’s so easy for Cassian after that to hold the man still and continue to lightly run his lips over the ticklish spots on Bodhi’s neck, smiling widely as Bodhi starts to laugh, squirming and trying to get away from the sensations. By the time Cassian finally relents, they’re both half off the bed, Bodhi gasping in breath between slowly fading laughter.

Cassian carefully pulls them back into the center of the bed and props one arm up so he's sitting up, smiling down at Bodhi as he catches his breath. The man finally opens an eye, rolls it before reaching back to swat at Cassian’s chest. “You're absolutely awful to wake up with.”

Quietly chuckling, Cassian hoists Bodhi so he's sitting up, tucked in between Cassian’s legs. Considering they're practically the same size, he takes advantage of how nothing Bodhi weighs (he will, until he's gotten the man taken care of enough so he won't continue to feel bones if he touches Bodhi’s ribs), cuddling him close with a few more purposely light kisses to get a small giggle. Even if sleep remains a top priority, getting a few moments of peaceful intimacy is up there too. They’d spent two weeks of little rest, let alone have any time for more than brief hand holding and kisses in between the hiding from the Empire and aiding with the other forming bases. He figures they're both a little touch starved.

Bodhi’s almost asleep in his arms by the time Cassian carefully lays him down so his head rests against his thigh. They make brief eye contact when Bodhi opens his eyes again curiously, staring up at Cassian until he feels fingers start to card through his hair and almost turns to jelly just like that. Cassian smiles to himself as the man relaxes beneath him, continuing to alternate between running his fingers through Bodhi’s hair and rubbing circles into his scalp. He could spend hours like this, focusing himself for as long as possible despite his thoughts inevitably wandering off from the current moment.

His thoughts have been going back to Scarif since it happened, really. Constantly reliving his and Jyn’s frantic limping to the U-Wing that had come around to them, as the planet came apart just a few hundred feet behind them. Baze had been there, and once they were safe in space he didn't utter a word, and Cassian had recognized it as the same shock he was starting to go into. Jyn watches the planet collapse; he can't bring himself to move.

Both Bodhi and Chirrut had almost been killed by two different explosions and had been both brought by Baze to a ship that had taken off back for Yavin IV several minutes prior. The news shook up any of the previous joy that had come with realizing they'd gotten the plans into safer hands. The three of them hurried to the med center the moment they came back, giving no time to the crowd of remaining rebels that wanted to see the rogues who’d given them such a chance for victory. While they weren't allowed in, the windows still gave them enough visuals to haunt nightmares.

While Cassian was also taken into one of the rooms to be looked over after his fall, images still danced in the back of his eyelids. Chirrut had either been unconscious or incredibly good at masking the pain of injuries, and Bodhi alternated frequently between writhing in pain, face scrunched up and occasional cries only muffled by the wall, and passing out with the hurt of it. It made Cassian feel almost weak considering the most he'd sustained was a fractured leg and some internal bruising on his ribs.

Once he's dismissed with a brace on his leg, Cassian’s superiors ordered him grounded until he's healed enough, to rest as much as he can. Ultimately, he joined Baze in waiting outside the medcenter, dozing on the chairs. He doesn't know still if it was already the start of  _ this _ , or if it was a basic concern that he knew Bodhi would wake up and recover alone if he didn't.

Cassian spent several days after that almost entirely at Bodhi’s bedside as he was treated for his burns. Purposely or accidentally, he memorized every minor thing the man did; constantly reaching back for the long hair that had been cut away to just above his ears to make bacta appliment easier, keeping his goggles under his pillow and fiddling with the lenses whenever he got nervous, stuttered when flustered. And he almost always relaxed when Cassian made their conversation about piloting, which brought him back down from nerves a number of times.

When Bodhi slept, Cassian watched Baze and Chirrut in the other room. Sometimes they talked inaudibly, hands creating sentences on their palms as they did, and sometimes they just sat in silence together. Even though the man is blind, Cassian swore he noticed Chirrut glance his way sometimes with a smile. It unsettled him as much as it made him go red with embarrassment.

It can't be more than three days after they all almost died before they were all in danger again as the Death Star created a direct path towards them. It was the first time Cassian was back in the control rooms, switching between organizing squadrons and preparing communications and last minute repairs of X-Wings. He only noticed once the battle started that Bodhi had followed him, watching the main gathering of rebels from the corner of the room, face tinted green from the projections. Cassian joined him and they stood there in silence.

At one point, Bodhi had asked what would happen if what they'd done had been in vain, had been wrong somehow. Cassian’s only response had been to grab the man’s hand instinctively and squeeze it in a lost attempt to give comfort.

It's some kind of miracle that Bodhi’s fear hadn’t come true; that the fool who didn't even have his targeting computer on hit the mark dead on and destroys the Death Star just minutes before it could destroy Yavin IV first. The moment the first squadron reports it in, the room erupted in exclamation and everyone hugging everyone. Cassian is no different, relief hitting him hard before he grabbed Bodhi in as tight a hug as he dared give. They quickly became one of hundreds of celebrating rebels, and no one paid attention even though Cassian is sure that it's Bodhi who first grabbed him by the shirt and kissed him like his life depended on it. It was Cassian that responded twice as eagerly, kissing until they bump into one of the projecting machines and Bodhi jumped with some returning pain and Cassian had mother hen-d him back to bed. From there it had grown.

He comes back to what he'd been doing when Bodhi reaches up and touches his cheek, concern etched across his face. “What are you thinking about?”

Cassian blinks a few times until he focuses back, mentally reiterates both their safety before exhaling. “Nothing. Just- thoughts.”

Bodhi raises an eyebrow dubiously and moves so he's kneeling now in front of Cassian, tucking his hair back behind his ears. “You're worried,” he comments, smoothing out the lines that have formed on Cassian’s forehead to prove his point. “Last mission or Scarif?”

He makes a quiet noise of displeasure, looking away before reaching up to take Bodhi’s hand gently. “Latter.”

Bodhi frowns a little himself, pulling himself closer to continue running his other hand along the curve of Cassian’s jaw. They both have their own scars from that battle, both physical (Bodhi’s phantom pains and Cassian’s faint limp that hasn't faded yet) and mental, and they've both learned how to deal with it.

“We've made it farther than we ever thought we would,” he reminds him quietly, squeezing Cassian’s hand, “And we keep living through everything we do. I’m never anywhere without you, nothing will ever happen that you won't be there to help with or stop. Same with me. Nothing like Scarif will ever happen again; the Empire is too smart to try the same trick twice.”

Cassian cracks a weary smile, running his hand back through Bodhi’s hair and cupping the back of his neck. “Right, they’ll try something different without the blessing of a weakness.”

“It took them twenty years to build the Death Star. Anything bigger will be long after we’re old and gone.”

The idea of dying unsettles Cassian, but a peaceful going isn't too far out of the question. He smiles genuinely and uses his hand to pull Bodhi in to kiss him, murmuring against his mouth “Anything bigger means I’ll need you here to get me through it, my pilot.”

Bodhi’s just started to blush when Cassian kisses him again, sleepy and soft and taking care to focus on the warmth of being so close. They both ease right back into it, taking their time in making up for two weeks without such calm intimacy. Both of them are breathing heavily within minutes, still carefully slow but nonetheless pushing every ounce of affection into it. Cassian’s hand wanders every minute or so, along the curve of Bodhi’s shoulder and over his chest where he can faintly feel his ribs and each breath come a little faster than the one before. He gets his hand down to his waist in order to push up Bodhi’s shirt only to quickly dance up his sides. In seconds they're once again a laughing mess, Cassian continuing to tickle him until Bodhi finally managed to push him off with tears in his eyes, smile lighting up his entire face.

Cassian still kisses him several more times as he works on getting them lying the right way, adjusting the covers and pillows until he can finally just focus on cuddling Bodhi close. Their legs are tangled together something awful, Bodhi pressed against Cassian’s chest with one arm slung around the man’s neck and the other tucked under his head like a pillow. Cassian keeps his arm in a similar position, the other running lazily up and down Bodhi’s back until he can feel his breathing even out, tucked close as he sleeps.  
  
He can feel his bad leg start to ache a little, but he's just as far too comfortable to consider moving. Cassian kisses his forehead and snuggles closer until they're pressed together everywhere, warm and both asleep before any other thought can come to ruin the moment.

**Author's Note:**

> truly? this was so soft even though i had to throw in some bodhi related angst. and this was easy and quick to write but my next work up will be either more modern quiobikin or a modern spiritassassin (i'm on a modern kick)
> 
> follow my tumblr imwvemalbus and come to my inbox with bassian and spiritassassin.. thank u


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